The Wrong Moment
by nirkleton
Summary: Following on from the Season 7 finale, Meredith finds herself caring for Zola without Derek.  With other surprises along the way, this story follows Meredith and Derek's journey finding their way back to each other... even if it does take a while.
1. A Long, Sleepless Night

**DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy is not mine, blah blah blah ...  
><strong>_For Cairo, because she read this one first 3 _  
>Chapter One; A Long, Sleepless Night<p>

Meredith was walking around her bedroom looking very much like a ghost. She'd gotten little sleep in the past week, trying to help Zola adjust to a new house and a new sleep schedule, apparently. She was rocking Zola slowly, humming a song by Snow Patrol because that's all she could even begin to think of at the moment.

"Your dad," she whispered quietly. "He's the kid person. He's probably the one who knows all the nursery rhymes. I really have no idea what I'm doing."

She watched as Zola yawned and then her eyelids fluttered closed, finally. Meredith sighed quietly and laid her down in her crib, covering her over with a fluffy pink blanket given to her by Lexie. She walked downstairs to find Cristina in the kitchen, nursing a bottle of bourbon.

"You haven't been drinking that have you?" Meredith asked.  
>"No," Cristina scowled. "I still don't know that I want the baby but that doesn't mean I'm going to drink it into oblivion so that it'd have four legs and two faces in utero."<br>"Good," Meredith said, sitting down and reaching for the tequila.  
>"Hey," Cristina said. "If I can't drink, you can't drink."<br>"Seriously?" Meredith whined. "I have been up with Zola every night for the past week, and Derek still isn't returning my phone calls, I have the freaking flu and you still won't let me drink?"  
>"Nope," Cristina said, walking into the living room and turning on the stereo. "Dance it out. Oh look, Hall and Oates, perfect."<br>"If the music wakes up the baby, I will kill you," Meredith said, starting to move her hips slowly to the music.

Within minutes, the two were jumping around the living room, their hair flying free and lip-synching the words to the song as if their lives depended on it.  
>"You make my dreams come true," Cristina crooned, dancing towards Meredith.<p>

Just then, the front door swung open, and Meredith assumed it was Owen who had come by every night for the last week, pleading with Cristina to keep the baby. She kept dancing until she saw Cristina looking at her.

"That one's yours," Cristina said, pointing her finger at the figure in the doorway, before she left the room to walk upstairs.

Meredith turned to find Derek standing in the doorway, his hair wet with the rain and looking like he hadn't shaved since she saw him last, a week ago.

"You have Zola?" he asked.  
>"Hi Derek," Meredith said. "It's nice to see you too. Where have you been?"<br>"I've been at the house," Derek said.  
>"This is the house Derek," Meredith said calmly. "Where our bedroom is? Your clothes? The post-it, framed above our bed?"<br>"You know what I mean," he muttered. "I've been sleeping up at the house, or in the trailer if it rains. Do you have Zola?"  
>"Yes Derek," she said quietly. "I have Zola. She's asleep in her crib upstairs, where she has been every night for the past week."<p>

Derek looked over Meredith, and even through his quiet anger he could still see the deep circles under Meredith's eyes and that she'd lost weight in just the past week. He wavered inside, but the rage came flooding back.

"And you didn't think to tell me that we got granted temporary custody of her?" he said angrily.  
>"Keep your voice down," Meredith said. "We have a sleeping baby upstairs. And I tried to call you, Derek. I can't control whether you pick up the phone or not."<br>"Jesus, Mer!" he shouts. "She's our daughter, you have to tell me these things!"

With that, Meredith heard a whimper turn into a full-blown scream as Zola started to cry upstairs.

"You have to leave," she told Derek. "You have to leave now."  
>"I'll go settle her," he said guiltily, immediately calm after his outburst.<br>"No," Meredith replied, starting to walk up the stairs. "You won't. Because it's the middle of the night, and she hasn't seen you for a week. She needs stability and routine. You can come and see her in the morning."  
>"Fine," he said wearily, running a hand through his hair. "Fine."<p>

She watched his back as he trudged towards the door, and all she really wanted to do was run to him and wrap her arms around him, fitting into that nook under his chin. All she wanted to do was apologise, and hug him and have some terribly hot make-up sex on the kitchen counter. But instead, she turned her back and listened to the door slam, and walked upstairs to her baby.

"Zola," she whispered quietly, as she gathered the baby up in her arms. "It's alright. Mummy's here, and Daddy will be back in the morning, I'm sure. We both love you, you know. I hope you know."

She rocked Zola until they were both half-asleep and then she laid her on the bed, supported either side by pillows as Zola fluttered into a deep sleep. Cristina was sprawled out on Derek's side of the bed, snoring softly. Finally, Meredith walked into the bathroom, sank to the floor and started to cry. An hour later, with shiny trails down her cheeks from the tears and a very red face, she pulled herself up and looked in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes, puffy cheeks, stringy hair. She was badly in need of a shower. She looked down at the basin and grabbed the piece of plastic, holding it up in front of her face.

A pink plus sign, staring her right in the face.

"It had to be now," she murmured, pushing her bangs out of her face. "I can't even take care of myself at the moment, let alone Zola, and now, another baby. Fantastic."

The door opened quickly and she spun around, holding the pregnancy test out in front of her like a sword.

"Holy crap," Cristina said. "Are you pregnant?"

**So that's it – my second fanfiction. This first chapter was fairly short as it's more of an introduction into the start of the story, but the next chapters I plan to be a bit longer. It's a bit different, and I'm hoping to continue but I really want some feedback as to whether people would be interested seeing this story continue on more? So please review and tell me your thoughts!**


	2. The Other Shepherd

**DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy is not mine, I just like to borrow it so I can construct a happier storyline than the one written by Shonda Rhimes.  
><strong>_For Eve, because she's officially old – happy (belated!) birthday EP4!_  
>Chapter Two; The Other Shepherd<p>

Meredith had finally fallen asleep at five o'clock, curled up in the bed, and she was awakened just an hour later by Zola rolling over and drooling on her face.

"Hi baby girl," Meredith said tiredly, yawning. "Is it breakfast time?"  
>"Get a room," Cristina muttered under her breath, pulling her pillow over her head.<br>"Funny that," Meredith said, pulling the pillow off Cristina's head. "I do have a room and you're sleeping in it!"

With that, Cristina rolled onto her belly and pulled the doona up over her head and Meredith took Zola downstairs. She danced around the room with her, making her giggle loudly as they snuggled. Meredith changed Zola's diaper and started to warm up a bottle.

"What else would you like for breakfast, Zola?" Meredith mused. "Apricots? Or, I think we have a banana somewhere in here."

She snapped Zola securely into the highchair that was delivered, along with a truckful of furniture for Zola's new nursery, yesterday. Zola sat up there happily, watching Meredith potter around the kitchen, mashing up the banana and bringing Zola her milk before sitting down beside her with a cup of coffee. She looked into and sighed.

"Decaf just isn't as good as the real thing," she told Zola. "But I really don't want your baby brother or sister to be born with two heads, so I think we'll lay low on the caffeine front for a while."

Zola happily started to eat the bananas, and ended up getting it all over her face, and onesie.

"Daddy's coming over this morning," Meredith told her as she changed Zola into a fresh pink onesie and a pair of jeans. "And I think he'll be in a better mood this morning. I know he's looking forward to seeing you."  
>Zola gurgled happily in reply, and then Meredith heard a knocking on the front door.<p>

"Perfect timing," Meredith sighed, kissing the top of Zola's head. "I bet that's Daddy now."

Meredith walked back downstairs and opened the front door. There stood Derek, looking mildly guilty, and she stood back to let him walk inside.

"Hey baby girl," Derek whispered to Zola, and Meredith held her out for him to take.

They walked into the kitchen, and for a few minutes sat in silence, with the exception of Zola's gurgles and murmurings.

"I'm sorry for waking her up last night," he told Meredith uncomfortably. "Did she go back to sleep?"  
>"Yep," Meredith said. "Look, Derek, I know we're having a thing at the moment, but Zola's still your daughter as much as mine. You can come and visit her any time you like. I hope you know that."<br>"Thanks," he said quietly. "I was going to ask if I could take her out this morning? My mum's in town and I wanted her to meet Zola."  
>"Sure," Meredith said, handing over the keys to the jeep. "The jeep has the car seat in it, so it'll be easier for you to just take it. Give me a minute to pack some of her things, alright?"<p>

She could hear Derek talking happily to Zola as she walked up the stairs and into the spare room where all of Zola's things were being kept. She pulled out the new diaper bag and shoved a tonne of diapers, one of her favourite green pacies, two changes of clothes and a few other bits and pieces into it. Finally she went down to the kitchen and grabbed a few packets of goldfish crackers, some cheerios and a handful of dried fruit.

"She'll want a snack in about two hours," she told him. "There's goldfish in the bag, or cheerios, and some fruit. You'll be back by lunch, right? Because she's due a bottle then and I don't have any water boiled, so I can't give you any to take."  
>"I'll be back," he promised. "Thank-you Meredith."<p>

He leant over awkwardly and kissed her on the cheek before bundling Zola into a little jacket and handing Meredith the keys to the Porsche.

"Thanks," she replied, leaning over to kiss Zola. "Love you Zo."  
>Zola gurgled in return, and smiled her big cheeky grin.<br>"I'll bring her back safely," Derek said, before he left.

Meredith watched him walk out to the car with Zola, a smile plastered across both of their faces. She sighed, and ran a hand over her belly.

"Don't worry baby," she said softly. "He loves you too, I promise."  
>"Are you talking to your stomach?" Cristina asked, walking up behind her.<br>"Maybe," Meredith said.  
>"Do you want to go to the hospital, hijack an ultrasound and actually see the little alien you're attempting to make conversation with?" Cristina asked.<br>"Seriously?" Meredith asked.  
>"Seriously."<p>

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"I feel kind of guilty," Meredith said as she lay back on the exam room chair. "Derek should be here for this, Cristina."  
>"Yeah well, until he stops being an ass, and gets his head out of his ass as well, he doesn't deserve to be here."<br>"You're probably not far along enough to see anything here," Cristina said squeezing on the gel. "But we'll give it a go. Otherwise it'll have to be the vaginal ultrasound."

She waved the ultrasound wand over Meredith's stomach and a picture of a tiny, perfectly formed baby showed up.

"Holy crap Meredith. I'm no OB, but even I can even tell the difference between a four week old fetus and a twelve week old."  
>"Twelve weeks? Are you kidding me?" Meredith said, her eyes nearly popping out of her skull.<br>Cristina pushed a few buttons, and suddenly the room filled up with a "whoosh whoosh" sound that melted Meredith's heart.  
>"That's amazing," Meredith said. "But seriously, twelve weeks?"<br>"Give or take a few days, yep. Even I'm not sure how you managed to get this far without noticing Mer."  
>"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence, Cristina. But this really doesn't give me much time to figure out how to handle this."<br>"You're keeping it though, aren't you? I mean you and McDreamy have been trying forever."  
>"Of course I'm keeping it," Meredith said, staring at the fuzzy picture onscreen. "But I'm not telling Derek. I don't want him coming back to me just because of this baby."<br>"Are you sure?" Cristina asked, curling her lip.  
>"Yes," Meredith said definitively. "Don't you dare mention this to anybody Cristina, okay?"<br>"Meredith, you're my person. You're the only one I'd even consider telling this kind of news."  
>"Good to know," Meredith said happily. "Now show me this baby again."<p>

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Derek dropped Zola back at the house before lunch, just as he promised. He said thank-you tersely, kissed Zola goodbye and then practically ran out the door.

"Did you have a good morning baby girl?" Meredith crooned, holding Zola close.

Just then, she heard the door bell ring.

"What did Daddy forget?" Meredith asked, walking towards the door and opening it.

She opened the door, to find a Shepherd standing there, but not the one she expected.

"Mrs Shepherd," she said unsurely. "You just missed Derek."  
>"I wasn't looking for Derek," the older lady said with a smile. "I'm looking for you. And please, it's Carolyn."<br>"Would you like to come inside? I don't have any coffee, or any tea, but I have water. I think. I might have some juice. At the moment the fridge is really only full of baby stuff but Zola really doesn't seem to like any of it. Especially that weird apple/pea/squash combination. Not that I blame her because I find that really, really weird."  
>"Meredith," Carolyn interrupted. "You're rambling, dear. It's all okay, I just want to chat for a minute."<p>

Meredith took a breath and stood back, letting Carolyn into the house before directing her to the kitchen. She held Zola close in her arms as she took a seat opposite Carolyn.

"I just wanted to let you know how glad I am to have you as part of the family," Carolyn said warmly.  
>"I don't really know whether Derek agrees with you at the moment," Meredith mumbled.<br>"Yes," Carolyn said. "He told me about your little argument. Honestly he can be so closed-minded sometimes. He's always been that way though, ever since his dad was shot."  
>"I did do it though," Meredith said. "I did swap the placebo and the treatment drug."<br>"For somebody who you know well, am I right? Richard Webber's wife?"  
>"Right," Meredith said.<br>"Well, I've tried to tell Derek for a long time that he needs you Meredith. You see the world in shades of grey, pardon the pun, and he needs that. He needs a bit of colour, some different shades. Things are far too black and white in his mind."

They sit amicably and chat for a few more minutes before Carolyn stands up to leave.

"It was lovely to see you, dear," Carolyn said, hugging her closely. "And look after that baby, okay?"  
>"Don't worry," Meredith smiled, looking down at Zola sleeping in her arms. "She really is an angel."<br>"I was talking about the other baby," Carolyn said, looking quickly at Meredith's stomach and raising her eyebrows.  
>Meredith spluttered and her jaw was hanging open, unable to believe what Carolyn was trying to say.<br>"Don't worry," Carolyn said. "I won't tell Derek. I assume that's what you're worried about?"  
>"Uh-huh," Meredith confirmed, unable to produce words.<br>"Well keep safe," Carolyn said. "All three of you. And give Derek a chance. He can be a real ass sometimes Meredith, but I know he loves you, and Zola. And if you give him the chance, I know he'll love this baby too."


	3. The Mommy Gene

**DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy is not mine, but if it was I'd employ Patrick Dempsey as my personal masseuse ;).  
><strong>_For Stephanie Jayne; because she's my husband, and the only person on FS who ships MerDer as hard as I do._  
>Chapter Three; The Mommy Gene<p>

The next two weeks passed slowly, and finally Meredith's suspension was lifted and she could get back to work. Her relationship with Derek was still on the rocks, and the only time she'd seen him smile in the past few weeks was when he was with Zola. He came and saw her every day, for at least a little while, and he'd taken her out to parks and things. Meredith had asked to come along, once, but Derek had made this face and so Meredith claimed she had an errand that she'd forgotten.

The day before she went back to work, Meredith had finally fixed up the nursery. All the old furniture from the guest room was moved out and packed up into boxes, and set up all the new furniture she'd ordered from Babies 'R' Us. She'd picked out a honey-coloured wooden crib and a matching changing table. There weren't many decorative things, but there was a pink fluffy rug on the floor that she knew Zola would love to roll around on. Her favourite part of the room was a set of wooden letters that she'd painted that read out "ZOLA". When Cristina had come home to find her sitting at the kitchen table with a pot of pink paint beside her, she'd scoffed and told her that she was really turning into a pile of mommy mush.

Zola hadn't slept in the nursery yet, but with the social worker visiting tonight, Meredith was extremely nervous. She was fussing around, making sure the sheets were straight and the stuffed toys were all lined up. She'd rearranged the pile of books at least twelve times, but without Zola she had nothing to occupy her busy hands. Finally she heard the doorbell ring and she rushed downstairs.

"Zola!" she smiled happily, reaching out for the smiling baby in Derek's arms. "Thanks Derek."  
>"No problem," he said with a tight smile.<br>"Do you want to come in?" Meredith asked. "I could show you Zola's nursery."  
>Derek looked for a moment like he just wanted to bolt, but he shrugged and smiled at Zola. "Sure."<p>

Meredith walked up the stairs, Derek following just after and together they stood in the door of Zola's nursery. For a moment Meredith felt like it was back to normal, feeling Derek's body standing just behind hers, together, in their daughter's nursery. She smiled, and rubbed Zola's back softly.

"Looks good," Derek said, with a genuine smile.

He looked around the room and his eyes rested on a picture of himself and Meredith, smiling. It had been on their bedside table, but now was framed and placed on the changing table, right next to the crib.

"I should go," Derek said quickly, turning.

Meredith reached out, and put a hand on his arm. He recoiled quickly, as though she'd shocked him.  
>"Derek," she asked slowly. "Will we ever get back?"<br>"I don't know," he muttered, looking at her for the first time. "I just don't know, Mer."

Lost for words, all Meredith could do was watch his back as he turned away from her and walked down the stairs. She could feel tears well up in her eyes, remnants of a lack of sleep and a lack of Derek. She shook them off, and smiled at Zola, who raised a hand to Meredith's cheek. She smiled at Zola, and whirled her around the room, dancing happily.

"She walked up to me, and she asked me to dance," Meredith started to sing happily. "I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Zola. Z-O-L-A, Zola. Zo-zo-zo-zo Zola."

Just then, she heard a quiet cough and she turned back to the doorway to find Derek standing next to Zola's social worker, Janet.

"I am so sorry," Meredith said, hugging Zola closer to hide her embarrassment.  
>"Janet was just coming in as I was leaving," Derek said with a smile playing on his lips. "I figured I'd just bring her up to the nursery before I went back to the hospital. I'll see you tomorrow morning Mer, okay?"<p>

He walked over and kissed her gently, and then Zola, before leaving. Meredith was shocked, but knew that Derek was trying to play nicely in front of Janet.

"Say 'Bye Dada'", she encouraged Zola, helping her to wave as Derek left the room.  
>"Bababa," Zola babbled happily.<br>"It's lovely to see you again Meredith," Janet smiled. "And it's great to see Miss Zola so happy!"  
>"I really am so sorry I didn't hear you coming in," Meredith said. "I was just..."<br>"Dancing," Janet supplied. "Don't apologise at all. I love seeing a natural interaction between kids and parents. Anything that gets a smile and a chuckle out of a baby is definitely a good thing."

For the next half hour Meredith showed Janet around Zola's nursery and the rest of the house, talking about how Zola had settled in to the new house.

"She seems very attached to you," Janet said as she watched Zola happily settled in Meredith's arms.  
>"I'm very attached to her," Meredith smiled. "It just feels so natural being with her. She makes me so, so happy. I guess I've got the Mom gene after all!"<br>"You have taken to motherhood remarkably well," Janet smiled. "And I probably shouldn't be telling you this quite yet, but Zola's permanent adoption papers are almost complete and on the shoulders of this visit, I will definitely be recommending that you and Derek be able to become Zola's permanent adoptive parents."  
>"That's wonderful," Meredith grinned happily, looking down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "I'm so glad Janet, thank-you so much!"<br>"No Meredith," said Janet with a wide smile. "Thank-you! As a social worker I see a lot of negative things, and so seeing Zola so happy and having found such great parents, this really makes my day."

Janet left shortly after, and Meredith couldn't bear to put Zola in her crib so she sat down on the couch, snuggling Zola close to her as she slept. Despite the whole situation with her, Derek and the clinical trial, she felt extremely lucky at that point in time.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next morning, Meredith was awake at five in the morning to get ready for her shift. She'd already rung the crèche at the hospital to make sure that Zola had a place, and she was assured that she could bring Zola in at any time. Meredith sat in the kitchen, sipping at her decaf coffee and munching on some of Zola's cheerios. She wasn't one to eat breakfast, but she was trying her best to eat properly for her unborn baby. She sat there, deep in thought, for quite a while before realising that if she didn't get Zola up soon that she'd be late. She woke Zola gently, and changed her from her pyjamas into a cute little pair of black leggings and a little white frilly top.

"Sorry baby girl," she said. "I know you don't like being woken up, but Mommy has to go to work. You're going to make some new friends today."

Zola finally gave Meredith a smile, and Meredith smiled back before grabbing Zola's stroller and diaper bag and heading out the door. She snapped Zola into her seat in the back of the car and drove to the hospital.

"Morning," she said breezily as she walked into the crèche. "I'm Meredith Shepherd, and this is Zola. She's booked in to start from today."  
>"Lovely to meet you, Meredith," said one of the staff. "My name is Rachel and I'm the nursery teacher, so I'll have Zola part-time and the other nursery teacher is Amy."<p>

Meredith settled Zola in and showed Rachel where Zola's formula and food was, before kissing Zola goodbye and promising to come visit later in the day.

"She should be fine," Meredith said cautiously to Rachel. "She's good with different people, but if she starts to freak out too much, just page me through the nurses' station on the surgical floor, or ask for my husband Derek Shepherd, the head of neurosurgery."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Meredith's first day back had been long, and tiring. She'd had multiple meetings with the chief which had been confusing, and swung somewhere between "You did something awful" and "Thank-you for giving Adele the drug". Her mind was swirling rapidly, she'd been feeling nauseous for the past four hours and all she wanted to do was collect Zola, go home and snuggle up on the couch with Zola's favourite pink blanket.

She walked slowly up to the crèche and straight into the nursery. She looked around the floor and saw a few other babies, but not Zola.  
>"Excuse me," she said to a staff member who was feeding an infant in a rocking chair. "Can you tell me where to find my daughter Zola? She started today."<br>"Oh, her father came to collect her at lunch-time," the woman said. "Was that not okay?"  
>"No, that's fine," Meredith sighed and then tried to laugh it off. "I must have gotten my wires crossed."<p>

She drove back across town trying to call Derek frantically on his mobile phone. She gave up after the fourth time and decided to try home first. When she saw his Porsche in the driveway, she sighed with relief but felt anger and frustration boiling in her blood. She opened the door and found Derek sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of scotch.

"Great," Meredith said, slamming her keys down on the table. "I get off work and don't know where my baby is, only to come home and find her father sitting at the table with a glass of scotch."  
>"It's been a long day, Meredith," Derek said, taking a gulp out of his glass. "I was just waiting for you to get back so I could leave."<br>"What if Zola had been hurt? Could you have driven her to the hospital? And you can't just take her from the crèche without letting me know! I was panicking, Derek, and you couldn't even pick up the damn phone!"  
>"How do you think I felt when you had taken her home and not even told me?" Derek said loudly.<p>

She could smell the alcohol on his breath and all she wanted to do was yell, but suddenly she felt the overwhelming urge to gag. She turned to the sink, and threw up quickly, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. She turned back and Derek was walking towards her.

"Are you okay?" he asked cautiously.  
>"Fan-fucking-tastic," she replied sourly.<br>"Great," he muttered sarcastically, feeding off her bad mood. "Well I'll be going."  
>"No," Meredith said. "You're not. You're drunk and you're not driving."<p>

She walked into the living room and threw him a cushion and a blanket.

"You can sleep on the couch," she told him. "Or you can take Alex's room. Whichever you prefer."

She walked upstairs, rubbing her head and trying to rid herself of the pounding headache. She turned her head to watch Derek stagger to the couch, and lay down, rubbing his head just as she had been. Meredith stopped at the door to the nursery, looking in on Zola who was asleep with her fingers curled around a purple stuffed elephant.

"Oh baby girl," Meredith sighed. "How did this all go so wrong?"

Zola shifted in her sleep, and Meredith watched her tiny lips part, and stretch into a beautiful smile.

"And how did this all go so right?" Meredith asked quietly, kissing Zola gently. "Good night Zo."

**PLEASE REVIEW! I want to hear all your thoughts (What was your favourite part? Least favourite? Do you think they're all in character still?) Let me know what you think! :-)**


	4. Tears

**DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy is not mine, unless Santa brings it for me for Christmas ;)  
><strong>_For my baby brother Riley, who turned two last week! I love you Riles 3 _

_And for everybody who hates my Derek – I'm sorry. But anybody who watches the show knows that he has his moments (he called Meredith a whore and hit her engagement ring into the woods with a baseball bat for crying out loud!) so I'm not doing it to be cruel... I just think an immediate apology / them getting back together is unrealistic. Don't worry though, this IS a MerDer fic and they will be back together... it just might take Derek a while to figure out what he's missing. _  
>Chapter Four; Tears<p>

"Cristina!" Meredith yelled down the stairs. "Help!"  
>"I don't do baby stuff," Cristina replied as she walked up the stairs. "So if it's anything to do with blankets, bottles or binkies, I'm out!"<br>"It's not," Meredith replied as Cristina entered the room.

Meredith was standing in front of her mirror, trying to do up the zipper on her jeans.

"Holy crap," Cristina said, muffling a laugh. "You got fat!"  
>"Shut up!" Meredith complained. "It is seriously not funny, Cristina! I knew this was going to happen eventually, but I'm really going to have trouble keeping this from Derek if my stomach's going to keep growing like this!"<p>

She turned to face Cristina with her top pulled up and the jeans still unzipped. There, right above where her jeans sat, was a perfectly formed bump. It was still small, but definitely a baby and a very noticeable change from her otherwise slender form.

"At least scrub tops are loose," Cristina teased.  
>"I can't wear scrubs at home," Meredith complained, pulling off the jeans and finding a different pair from in her wardrobe.<p>

With a little effort, she managed to button this pair of jeans up and stood there, staring at herself in the mirror.

"Well," Cristina said. "While you're standing there admiring your abdomen, I'm going to be downstairs eating the cheerios."  
>"Don't eat them all," Meredith said. "Zola likes them too."<br>\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Meredith was running late by the time she got to the hospital, with Zola on her hip and her handbag and the diaper bag slung over her shoulder. She was wearing an old green tank top with a grey hoodie that helped to hide her baby bump. She rushed Zola up to the crèche, gave her a quick kiss and then dashed to the residents' locker room to change into her scrubs.

She pulled the scrub top on, and sighed happily, glad that Cristina was right – the scrub top was loose and you couldn't tell she was pregnant at all, unless you looked at her really closely from the side. She pulled her sneakers on and found Bailey who was her resident for the day. Luckily she was just about to go into surgery to remove a bowel obstruction, and she told Meredith that she could assist in removing the obstruction. They were just making the first cut with the scalpel when Meredith's stomach started to churn.

"You alright, Grey? You're looking green," Bailey told her with a raised eyebrow.  
>"I uh," Meredith said. "I'll be right back."<p>

She ran from the OR and burst into one of the cubicles just in time, throwing up violently into the toilet. She rinsed her mouth out at the sink, and then ran a hand through her hair, trying to catch her breath.

"Sorry," she said as she returned to the OR. "It won't happen again."  
>"It better not," Bailey said.<p>

Meredith removed the obstruction successfully, and assisted Bailey with the close before she scrubbed out. As she ripped off her scrub mask, Bailey walked up to her and stood with her hands on her hips.

"Yes?" Meredith asked, figuring that she was going to be reprimanded for earlier.  
>"When you feel like you're going to throw up, take a step back and a deep breath. And babies don't like to be kept waiting for food, so if you have a snack just before the OR, they'll usually settle."<br>"I, don't," Meredith started to stammer.  
>"You're pregnant," Bailey supplied. "You think you can hide it from me, Grey? I can see that little bump you're hiding, you look like you've lost weight, you look positively exhausted and you've been throwing up for the past two months now. Don't try to bullshit me."<br>"Derek doesn't know," Meredith confessed quickly. "He's just..."  
>"Acting like a jackass," Bailey supplied. "Yeah, I think most people in this hospital can see that. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. Just remember what I said about the snacks, because I promise you that it works."<p>

Meredith was walking down the hall to the vending machine when she felt her stomach start to gurgle all over again. She took a deep breath and tried rubbing her belly gently, but it just started churning more than ever. She started walking towards the nearest bathroom, but then heard a voice call out from behind her.

"Meredith," Derek called.

She turned around to find him at the end of the hall, she winced and ducked into the bathroom, throwing up once more. She wiped her mouth out and tried to calm down before she went back out to find Derek. She opened the bathroom door to find him standing right outside.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, looking at her pale face.  
>"I've got a stomach bug," she lied. "Not feeling too good."<br>"I just wanted to see if you wanted to have dinner," Derek said. "I've got something I want to talk to you about."  
>"Sure," Meredith said. "I get off at four so come over whenever you like."<br>"I'll bring Italian," he said with a small smile. "Do you have wine at the house?"  
>"I think so," Meredith replied, a little dumbfounded.<p>

Turning on his heel, Derek walked down the corridor and left Meredith standing there, absolutely confused as to what was happening. She didn't know whether this was his first step in apologising, or at least forgiving her, but she really hoped it was.

"You never know," she whispered with a hand on her belly. "Maybe Daddy will come around sooner than I thought, bubba."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Meredith put Zola to bed and got into the shower quickly, knowing that Derek would be here before too long. She was nervous, for the first time in a long time, about seeing Derek. The past few weeks she'd been annoyed at him, but slowly she was coming to realise that as much as he was being an ass, he felt betrayed. She'd never meant to hurt him, but she obviously had. She got out of the shower and dressed quickly, putting on a pair of jeans that still buttoned up over her bump, and a lavender shirt with long sleeves. She stared at herself in the mirror, pulling up her shirt and spreading her fingers over her abdomen. She smiled for a moment, and then hurried downstairs, only to find Derek already at the table.

"Derek," she smiled.  
>"Meredith," he replied somewhat seriously, but with the hint of a smile lurking in those beautiful blue eyes.<br>"I think there's a bottle of red in the fridge," Meredith told him as she pulled cutlery out of the top drawer.  
>"One for you?" Derek asked, gesturing to the wine glasses.<br>"No thanks," Meredith replied. "With the gastro I think I'm better sticking with water."

They sat at the table, opposite each other, eating in silence for a few minutes. Meredith played with her food, feeling too anxious and nauseaus to properly eat.

"Meredith," Derek said quietly. "I need to talk to you about something."  
>"Go ahead," she said nervously, breathing in slowly.<br>"I've rented an apartment," he told her quickly, all in a rush. "Near the hospital, only a few blocks away from here."  
>"You rented an apartment." she repeated slowly.<br>"I can't stay out at the house because it doesn't even have a roof," he justified. "And I really don't want to be that far away from Zola. So I figured this was just the next logical step."

Meredith tried to take a deep breath, but her lungs failed her and her eyes filled with tears. She looked down at her plate, trying to hide her sadness, but the tears splashed onto her plate and she looked back up to find Derek staring at her.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, reaching for her hand.  
>"No, Derek, I'm not alright," she burst out quickly before bursting into fresh sobs and running up the stairs.<p>

She collapsed onto her bed next to Cristina, who looked at her and shook her head slowly. Cristina got up like an angry bull, rage running rampant across her features. Meredith couldn't help but overhear as Cristina trampled down the stairs and started fuming at Derek.

"You are a complete ass," Cristina said angrily. "I don't even know what you said, but Meredith is upstairs crying and you have no right to make my person cry. She thought you were coming over here to tell her that you were ready to come back home, Shepherd, and instead you've made her cry. Damn it! I save your life and you're just screwing it all back up. You should know better than to mess with a pregnant lady, Shepherd!"  
>"I didn't even know you were here," he replied angrily.<p>

Meredith heard heavy footsteps towards the door and it slammed quickly.

"I wasn't talking about me," Cristina muttered to herself as she walked back upstairs.

She found Meredith on the bed, curled up into a ball. Cristina got up onto the bed and wrapped herself around Meredith, hugging her close.

"This is not hugging," Cristina told her.  
>"Yes it is," Meredith said through her tears.<br>"Fine," Cristina replied. "It is hugging but the baby is asleep and somebody has to hug you."

Cristina lay like that, hugging Meredith close until she fell asleep.

"He is such an ass," Cristina said under her breath. "He has no freaking clue what he's missing out on. And I swear to the god I don't believe in, that if Meredith doesn't tell him soon, then I will."


	5. That Shirt

**DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy is not mine, but I wish Patrick Dempsey was ;) **  
>Chapter Five; That Shirt<p>

Meredith had finally reached the twenty week mark, half-way in her pregnancy, and in the last few weeks her stomach had really started to pop out. It was noticeable under her scrub top, and there was no way to conceal it. Derek had been taking Zola overnight a few times a week, but she'd always been able to get Cristina to do the interacting, pretending to be at the hospital or in the bathroom when he came over.

The hospital was a little trickier. She'd taken to carrying around patient charts with her everywhere, and often found herself popping be hind nurses stations whenever she saw him walking around. Meredith wasn't stupid, she knew she'd have to tell him soon but she just felt that there was no good way to tell him that she was pregnant, in the midst of all the mess that was still going on. The nurses had been gossiping about her for weeks, but Cristina had threatened every single person with death if they breathed a word of it to Derek.

It was early in the morning, and Meredith rolled onto her side, facing Cristina.

"You're really fat," Cristina said dryly, staring at Meredith's stomach.  
>"Shut up!" Meredith replied, rolling over and frowning.<br>"Seriously Mer," Cristina told her. "If you don't tell Derek by the end of the week, I will refuse to be a part of your cover-up acts any more. I don't want to be the person who hands over the baby every second night."  
>"You're the worst person ever," Meredith grumbled, getting out of bed and walking into the ensuite.<p>

Meredith stood in front of the mirror, pulling up her shirt and staring at her stomach. She rubbed it gently and smiled.

"Are you going to be cooperative today?" she asked quietly. "If you keep those little legs open we'll be able to find out whether you're doing to be a Mini McDreamy or another Twisted Sister."  
>"I got Karev onside," Cristina said. "He's going to set up the ultrasound in a private exam room and we'll meet him up there at twelve."<br>"Fine," Meredith muttered. She'd forgiven Alex for the most part, but there was still just a little resentment lingering.  
>"Don't be like that. He got you your little African baby."<br>"Cristina, she has a name!"  
>"It sounds like solar panelling."<br>"You're the worst godmother ever."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

They walked into the hospital and up to the third floor, slipping quietly into an examination room.

"Hey Meredith," Alex said awkwardly, standing next to the ultrasound screen.  
>"Hey Alex," Meredith replied. "Thanks for doing this."<br>"No problem," he replied. "Shepherd's being a jerk, everybody can see that. That's why nobody's told him what's going on with all this."  
>"Yeah," Meredith said, looking down at her belly. "It's getting pretty hard to hide these days."<br>"Well with him stomping around the hospital like a monster, it's hard for anybody to talk to him, let alone say something as important as 'You're going to be a daddy'."

Meredith sat down on the chair and pulled up her shirt as the chair reclined slightly. Cristina grabbed the gel and squirted it onto Meredith's belly abruptly.

"Could you do that any gentler?" Meredith asked as the cold gel hit her stomach.  
>"Sorry," Cristina said, shrugging.<p>

Alex waved the wand over Meredith's stomach, and the picture of the baby came up on screen immediately. Meredith stared through watery eyes as she trailed down the tiny spine and over the profile of the nose. She watched as Alex moved the wand and they came up to the baby's perfect lips, pressed like a kiss against the screen. She watched the baby's fingers tighten into a fist and then unfurl gently, like it was waving to her.

"Okay, I don't even really like babies but that was pretty cute," Cristina said, touching her own belly.  
>"You want to know the sex?" Alex asked.<br>"Yes," Meredith said, nodding with a smile.

He moved the wand down between the baby's legs and Meredith started to grin.

"Congratulations Mer," Alex said with a smile. "It's a girl."  
>"I see that," Meredith said with tears rolling down her cheeks.<br>"Pregnancy's made you turn on the waterworks," Cristina said, shaking her head.  
>"I'm growing an entire person in my abdomen, Cristina," Meredith said, shaking her head. "I think I'm entitled to a few tears along the road."<br>"A few," Cristina snorted before Meredith turned and glared at her. "Yes, fine, a few."  
>"Want your DVD?" Alex asked, handing over a stack of pictures.<br>"Definitely," Meredith said, a grin creeping over her face as she flicked through the pictures.

She traced a finger along the profile of her baby, the little button nose and beautiful lips.

"She looks so perfect already," Meredith said. "Just perfect."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Meredith was standing at the nurses' station when she heard footsteps behind her. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her lab coat and pulled it forward around her, trying hard to mask her very pregnant stomach.

"Who exactly do you think you're trying to fool here Grey?" Bailey asked, looking her up and down. "You look like you've got a watermelon shoved under your lab coat."  
>"Thanks," Meredith sighed.<br>"I know what you're doing Grey," Bailey said. "I get it, I do. You don't want to tell him because he's not listening to anything at the moment, and you don't want him to come back to you just because of this baby."  
>Meredith stared at her, her jaw dropping slightly.<br>"Husbands," Bailey said with a flick of her hand. "They're all stupid. Most of the time. All I'm trying to say is that with a frame as small as yours, you really can't hide behind charts for much longer. And as much of an ass as Shepherd is being, he still deserves to know that he's going to be a dad."  
>"I know," Meredith murmured.<br>"What're you doing standing here anyway?" Bailey asked.  
>"Just looking," Meredith said, handing over one of her scan pictures.<br>"Oh," Bailey said, softening immediately. "Tuck was sucking his thumb at his twenty week scan. He kept unfurling his fingers like he was waving, but the whole time he kept his thumb planted firmly in his mouth."  
>"It's pretty amazing."<br>"It sure is, Grey."

Meredith left Bailey at the nurse's station and walked up the stairs to the nursery, ready to take her home and get her ready for dinner and bed. She walked into the room and Zola's chocolate brown eyes found her immediately, lighting up as she started babbling and grinning.

"Hey Zo," Meredith smiled. "How are you doing baby girl?"  
>"She's had a great day today," one of the carers said to Meredith. "She was crawling over to Sofia's rocker and smiling at her."<br>"Were you being friendly Zola?" Meredith asked in a sing-song tone. "Good girl!"

The crawling was a relatively new achievement, following lots of physical therapy. The therapist had told Meredith that she had very high hopes for Zola, that she should be able to walk unassisted but would still be a little unsteady. Meredith's eyes glistened with tears as she watched Zola crawling around the room, picking up all the toys and bringing them back to place in a pile at Meredith's feet.

"Are you ready to go home, baby girl?" she asked Zola, lifting her up and settling her onto her hip.

Just as she grabbed Zola's diaper bag from her locker, she heard a voice call her name. A very familiar voice.

"Derek," she said, turning and holding the diaper bag in front of her. "What's the matter?"  
>"I thought I was taking Zola tonight?" Derek asked.<br>Meredith's eyes widened and then she nodded in the realisation that Derek was right.  
>"Must be the baby brain," the carer laughed.<br>Meredith almost choked and covered quickly. "Sure is, hey Zo? She didn't sleep through last night so I'm pretty tired. You've just got to love the mommy brain."  
>"Okay, so I'll drop her at daycare tomorrow and you've got her tomorrow night?" Derek asked.<br>"Yep," Meredith said, passing Zola over quickly. She thrust the diaper bag at him and then turned around quickly, hiding her stomach and pretending to scribble something in the communication book that the nursery had for all the babies. "I'll see you tomorrow Derek. Love you Zola!"

She heard Derek's footsteps leave the room and she turned around with a sigh of relief.

"I'm so sorry," the carer said, her mouth wide. "I just assumed..."  
>"It's alright, it's not your fault," Meredith assured her. "It's mine. I haven't worked up the courage to tell her yet."<p>

And with that, Meredith picked up her handbag and walked out to her jeep. When she got home she changed into her favourite pair of dark jeans and her Dartmouth t-shirt that just barely reached the waistband of her jeans, and sank down onto the couch with a pint of strawberry ice-cream and a spoon. Just as she flicked on the television to catch a few minutes of the news, her phone started to vibrate madly in her pocket. She pulled it out, and saw Derek's name flash up on her screen.

"Hey Derek, what's up?" she asked.  
>"Zola fell out of her crib," he said quickly, his words threading together in a panic. "She landed on her head and I think it might have dislodged the shunt. She's not responsive. We're on the way to the hospital now. Can you come?"<br>"Of course," Meredith said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

She grabbed the car keys from the kitchen table and ran outside as fast as she could, speeding the whole way to the hospital. She parked in a red zone right out front, and walked inside looking wildly around for Derek. She walked up to the reception desk and slammed her keys on the desk.

"Doctor Grey," the night receptionist said, looking up at her calmly. "Can I help you?"  
>"Has an ambulance come in yet?" she demanded, running a hand through her messy hair. "Derek said he was on his way to the hospital and I'm assuming he would have called an ambulance for Zola."<br>"He came in a few minutes ago, and Zola was taken up to CT."

Just then, she heard heavy footsteps behind her and Derek called out her name.

"Meredith," he called down the hallway, pushing a hand through his hair.

She whipped around quickly, catching sight of him immediately.

"Derek," she said. "Is she alright? She's up in CT already?"

Derek stopped in his tracks, and the world grew fuzzy. All he could centre on was Meredith, standing in the reception area of the hospital wearing those dark jeans, and her favourite ratty Dartmouth shirt. The Dartmouth shirt that was bulging, an obviously pregnant stomach beneath it. He just kept staring, dumbfounded, as she was walking towards him quickly and still spitting out questions about Zola at an alarming rate.

"Derek," she repeated. "Is she conscious yet? What happened?"  
>"You're, you're," he started stuttering, unable to take his eyes off her stomach.<p>

He looked up suddenly and caught her brilliant green gaze in his.

"You're pregnant," he suddenly forced out. "You're ... pregnant?"

_Yes, I know it's a cliff-hanger, don't hate me. I'll try to update again super quickly and put you out of your misery. Feel free to review – constructive criticism is always welcome. _


	6. That Shirt Part 2

**DISCLAIMER: Grey's Anatomy is not mine, you know the drill... **

**And I know I promised a quick update and it really wasn't quick at all – I had half the chapter written and then got side-tracked by numerous uni assignments.**

Also, can I just say – if you don't LIKE this story, then don't read it! It's that simple!

Chapter Six; That Shirt (Part 2)

**He looked up suddenly and caught her brilliant green gaze in his. **

"**You're pregnant," he suddenly forced out. "You're ... pregnant?" **

"Yes," Meredith said slowly, knowing that she wouldn't get any information out of Derek while he was still in that state of shock. "Yes, I'm pregnant."  
>"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered, wringing his hands and staring at her belly once more.<br>"Would you have listened?" she asked him quietly.  
>"I, uh, probably not," he replied quietly stepping forward, closer to her.<p>

They stood there in silence for a minute or two, Meredith desperate to ask about Zola and Derek not able to comprehend how he'd managed to miss this for the past four months.

"Derek," Meredith said softly, reaching out to hold his hand. "I'll tell you anything you want, but now's not the time. What happened with Zola?"  
>"She fell out of the crib," he stuttered, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. "I must have forgotten to pull the side back up after I put her in, but I didn't even know she was pulling herself up on anything. I was in the kitchen getting a drink and she was doing that thing where she babbles to herself as she goes to sleep, and the next thing I heard was a thud, a cry and then silence. I ran to the room and she was lying on the floor."<br>"Where is she now?" Meredith asked, her tears flowing freely.  
>"CT," Derek told her. "She regained consciousness in the ambulance on the way over but Nelson said her shunt might have dislodged. He'll go in for a repair as soon as he sees if that's the issue."<br>"Okay," Meredith said, trying to take deep breaths and calm down.  
>"I'm so sorry Meredith," he gulped frantically. "I said all those terrible things, and I said that I couldn't trust you and now Zola's hurting because of me, and I missed all this."<br>"Oh Derek," she said, stepping closer to him until they were practically touching. "It's not your fault." "It is," Derek said again. "And I'm so sorry."

They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds before he pulled her right next to him, holding her close as they both sobbed. He wrapped his arms around her, and in that moment Meredith felt safer than she had in months. They stood in the hallway and sobbed together until Derek's pager started beeping madly and they broke apart.

"Nelson," he muttered. "Let's go."

He reached out for her hand, and she fit it into his like it was where it always belonged. Together they hurried down the corridor to find Doctor Nelson and their daughter.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Doctor Nelson confirmed that her shunt had been dislodged, but that it was going to be a fairly simple procedure to remove it and put a new one in its place. He warned that she might be crabby for the next few days, but that he was confident the surgery would be successful and she would be back to her happy self in no time.

She and Derek moved up to the gallery and locked the door behind them. Nobody else needed to watch their daughter being cut open in the Seattle Grace operating theatres for the second time in her life, except them. Derek sat in the seat closest to the window, and Meredith curled up next to him, resting her head on his chest.

The surgery progressed smoothly, and Derek seemed happy with how Nelson was handling the surgery.

"I would've done it differently," he'd said quietly at one point. "But he's doing alright."

He looked at Meredith and kissed her lightly on the forehead, moving his hand to rest on her stomach. They stayed like that, softly intertwined as they watched Nelson remove the shunt that Derek had placed there just a few months ago, and put in a new one.

"Hopefully this one will stick around a little longer," Meredith murmured.  
>"Hopefully Zola will be around for us to know," Derek muttered.<br>"What's that supposed to mean?" Meredith asked, looking up at him worriedly.  
>"I let her fall out of her crib, Mer. How could they possibly think we're fit parents after that?"<br>"Because nobody's perfect, Derek. Parenting isn't supposed to be easy. As much as we hate it, sometimes it's trial and error. And she will be okay, I know it."

Derek didn't say anything, but he rested his head on top of hers and Meredith felt her eyelids flutter before she fell asleep.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few hours later, Meredith woke up on a green couch. She looked around for a few seconds, blinking madly as she tried to figure out where she was. Zola was asleep in a crib, but Derek was nowhere to be seen. Just as she sat up, Derek walked in the door holding two cups of coffee.

"Decaf," he offered, handing her a cup.  
>"Thanks," she smiled, wrapping her hands around the cup gently.<br>"Nelson came in a little while ago," Derek said quietly. "He's pleased with how the operation went and she should wake up properly in a few hours."  
>"How long have I been asleep?" Meredith asked, stretching out her tired limbs.<br>"Four hours maybe," Derek said. "I didn't really take much notice of how long it was. It's almost four in the morning now."  
>"Ugh," Meredith groaned. "My shift is supposed to start in an hour."<br>"I talked to Richard," Derek told her. "He's given us both the next week off."

They sat next to each other in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Meredith winced and shifted slightly.

"Are you alright?" Derek asked, concerned.  
>Meredith smiled, and took his hand, pressing it into her belly.<br>"You feel that?" she asked him. "That's our baby."  
>Derek looked into her eyes, tears pooling and threatening to spill down his cheeks.<br>"Oh Meredith," he said. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I missed out on this."  
>"You didn't miss out on anything," Meredith replied. "I have all the scans on DVD at home, and you're here now."<br>"How far along are you?" he asked quietly.  
>"Twenty-one weeks," she replied while she fished through her handbag. "Oh, here."<p>

She handed him an ultrasound picture, the one where the baby looked like she was waving.

"Derek," Meredith said quietly as he held the picture carefully, tears falling down his cheeks. "It's a girl."  
>"A girl," Derek repeated. "We're having a girl."<br>"We are," Meredith confirmed.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before they saw Zola start to shift in her sleep.

"She's allowed breakfast, right?" Meredith asked. "She'll be hungry, I'm sure."  
>"Nelson said she was fine to start eating again as normal, but that she might not be too fussed on food for a few days. I'll go get her a bottle ready."<p>

Derek left, leaving Meredith in the room with Zola. Meredith leaned over the rails of the crib, smiling down at Zola as she started to wake up.

"Hi princess," she smiled softly as Zola blinked slowly. "Good morning."

Zola's lips stretched into a smile as she reached up for Meredith.

"Okay baby girl," Meredith said, lifting her up and finding comfort in Zola's weight in her arms. "We'll just have to be gentle for a while, okay? No wrestling with Daddy, or Aunt Cristina."  
>"Baba," Zola babbled. "Dadadada."<br>"That's right," Meredith smiled. "Dada's back. I told you."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Three days later, Meredith, Derek and Zola finally left the hospital. They walked out to the parking lot, with Derek's arm slung protectively over Meredith's shoulder, carrying Zola in his other arm. When they got to the car, Derek stopped and looked down at Meredith.

"Mer," he said quietly. "I can come home, right?"  
>"There's nowhere else I'd rather you be," Meredith replied, smiling at him.<p> 


End file.
